Kumo Sukiyaki

Almost 2 years ago, I had visited the original location of Kumo Sukiyaki out on Anderson Road in Richmond.  It was a decent experience and the 3-level AYCE pricing was fair for what we got.  For those who are unfamiliar, Japanese Sukiyaki refers to sliced beef (sometimes pork), vegetables, tofu and noodles cooked in a shallow iron pot with a broth consisting of shoyu, sugar and mirin.  We checked out their newest location on Alexandra Road taking over from the shuttered Kazuhan.

The first order of business is to choose your AYCE menu from 3 options: $28.99, $38.99 and $54.99 per person.  There is also a soup fee of $9.90 per table (which is less than they charged at the old location).  We got the top tier which included more premium meats and also a wider choice of small dishes.  These included Wakame Salad, Tako Wasabi, Kimchi, Fried Chicken Wings, Takoyaki and Ebi Tempura.  All of the orders was through a tablet on the table.  All orders were sent directly to the kitchen.  This is a major improvement over the system we experienced at the Anderson Road location.

Onto the beef selection, we got all of them which included Pork Belly, Angus Beef Short Plate, AAA Top Blade Eye, Wagyu Beef Chuck Flat and Wagyu Beef Short Plate.  We had many orders of these since they were sliced thin.  That also meant they were quick to cook and super tender to eat.  Every one of them were good and the ones with more fat had more of a meaty flavour.  My personal favourite was the Wagyu Beef Short Plate.

There was also a selection of veggies, noodles and tofu to choose from too and we got them all.  Really enjoyed the mushrooms the most as well as the noodle bundles since they soaked up the broth.  Naturally, we also cracked some eggs so that we could dip our cooked meats into.  That's right, you dip the cooked meats into the egg.  This gives the meat extra butteriness and also cools down the meat.  Don't forget a bowl of rice too as it goes real well with the sweet and savoury meats coated in egg.

For dessert, there was some sliced Pineapple, but also a choice of one Melona fruit bar.  We had one each of the honeydew and the mango.  Actually, the Melona reminded me of my visit to Gyubee out in Ottawa.  Such a nice thing to finish with after subjecting our mouths to hot food.  I found the overall experience at this location of Kumo to be superior to my initial visit to the Anderson Road spot.  I liked how they addressed the ordering accuracy by employing tablets and also reducing the setup fee.  However, I think they should just add that into an all-inclusive price.   Although we had the highest tier of AYCE, I feel you can still have a satisfying meal with the $28.99 menu.  With that, it is a great value and of course you will be stuffed!

*All food and beverages were complimentary for this blog post*

The Good:

- Meats were tender

- Nicer setup than the original location

- Ordering system is efficient

The Bad:

- Should include the setup fee in an all-inclusive price

- Parking lot is insufficient for the amount of businesses

Meet Oyster Wagyu AYCE

Jackie and I have been to Meet Oyster recently and we had their steal-of-a-deal Late Night Sukiyaki Set.  Despite being thoroughly satisfied, we were still very curious about their Wagyu AYCE menu.   On weekdays, it is $86.99 for adults while costing $88.99 on weekends.  Late night is $82.99.  There are 2 tiers below the Wagyu AYCE for $56.99/$58.99 and $30.99/$32.99 respectively for weeknights/weekends for adults.  So yes, you can still have most of the menu items at the mid-tier minus the Wagyu.  But for us, it was all about the Wagyu!

Before we got to that, we had to choose our broth.  Each person has their own personal mini-hot pot atop a butane burner.  For myself, I went for their most popular being the Sukiyaki Soup and Jackie had the Tomato Soup.  I would say that this was great so we didn't have to share valuable hot pot space with each other, but since they were small, the soup evaporated very quickly.  With that being said, they refilled very quickly.  I enjoyed the sweetness of the sukiyaki, but the tomato broth was so delicious, I would probably choose that next time.  It was naturally sweet, tomatoey and with a background tang.

In addition to the raw Sukiyaki items on the AYCE menu, there is also Sashimi & Sushi available.  Despite not looking it, the place dishes up good quality Japanese eats.  The options for sashimi include tuna, hamachi, hokkigai, amaebi and salmon.  As you can see in the picture, the quality is definitely there.  We enjoyed the bright and clean flavours of the sashimi, ordering it twice.  Also included are a few different rolls and aburi sushi.  Those were also solid with chewy sushi rice and fresh ingredients.

Included as well with the sashimi and sushi options, they also have a selection of dishes as well.  We had the Chirashi Don, Tako Wasabi, Unagi Don, Deep-Fried Squid and Baked Oysters.  These were also quite good with the chirashi don having the same good sashimi.  The tako wasabi was good with octopus that had a nice bite while the pickles added more crunch.  Good wasabi hit but not too strong either.  Unagi don featured buttery eel that was adequately sauced.  I found the fried squid to be excellent with a crunchy seasoned batter with tender squid that had an appealing chewiness.  As for the baked oysters, I've had this before and the durian one is the way to go (as long as you enjoy durian that is).  The cheese was plenty cheesy, but I much prefer the garlic as it was loaded and flavourful.

You might've already seen some of the sukiyaki options in the first picture including Squid, Whole Scallops, Shrimp Meatballs, Tripe, Abalone, Snakefish and Shrimp.  These were good quality where the scallops included the mantle (which I love due to the chewy texture).  The snakefish was excellent where it cooked up to be sweet and flaky.  Naturally, the abalone was a treat with its rebound texture and unmistakable aroma.  Shrimp meatballs had a nice bounce and sweetness.  You could also order eggs and use that to dip the meats into after cooking them.

On the topic of meat, the real draw of the Wagyu AYCE is of course the Wagyu Beef!  We got many orders of this (the item on the right) and yes, it was buttery and tender while flavourful.  It goes down so easily, one could do 3 orders of this each for sure.  That didn't stop us from ordering the other beef options too including the Premium Beef Brisket and Premium Beef Chuck.  Naturally, the fatty brisket was more flavourful and slightly more buttery (although still meaty in texture), while the chuck was leaner and beefier.

Among other options on the menu, we also Beef Aorta, Vermicelli, Wide Mung Bean Noodles, Fried Tofu, Bean Curd Sticks, Dried Bean Curd Rolls, Fish Tofu and Dace Meatballs.  I would say these were pretty standard since there was not much to prepare.  Good options though for hot pot.  Overall, the Wagyu AYCE was an inclusive meal that had many cooked and raw choices.  Quality was good and we were definitely satisfied.  However, if you do not want to be that spendy, the mid-tier AYCE option is basically the same minus the Wagyu.  That is probably the best value of the bunch.  Normally, they have premium ice cream bars for dessert, but for this visit, they ran out.  Be sure to get some when you go!

 

*All food and beverages were complimentary for this blog post*

 

The Good:

- Good food quality

- Sashimi and Sushi are above-average

- Lots of choice

 

The Bad:

- Dining space is pretty small, so limited space for food on the table 

Meet Oyster

As mentioned in many previous posts, AYCE (All-You-Can-Eat) has become a thing again in the GVRD.  For awhile there, it seemed to go the way of the Dodo (infamous bird that went extinct), never to be seen again.  However, with rising restaurant prices and the overall cost of food these days, an all-inclusive price for everything seems like a good value.  One thing that I have seen across-the-board is the generally higher quality of eats available for AYCE.  Now, don't get me wrong, AYCE is still very much a quantity-over-quality endeavour, but if you have reasonable expectations, it can be completely acceptable or even very good.  The latest AYCE I visited is Meet Oyster with its individual hot pots and Japanese food.  This time, I was here for their Late Night Set, but I also go to order off the AYCE menu just to try some more items (that were not included in the Late Night Sukiyaki Set).

Let's get right into the Late Night Sukiyaki Set for only $29.99.  Yes, you really get all that you see on the table for one low price.  I honestly can't see you spending less money at a variety of restaurants considering the quality of the ingredients you get here.  In addition to the included broth (additional cost for more premium broth), we had 2 choices for seafood (abalone & oyster), 2 hotpot classics ( tripe & beef meatballs), 2 beef choices (Wagyu beef & premium beef chuck), 2 soy-based items (fish tofu & crispy tofu skin rolls), 2 noodles (konjac noodles & fresh ramen noodles), 3 veggies, 6 pcs sashimi and 6 pcs sushi.  Also included was an array of sauces and condiments for the sauces.  This was more than enough food for 2 people.

Not that we didn't have enough food already, but we also decided to try out some items from the AYCE menu for "informational purposes" including the Aburi Oshi with salmon, unagi and hamachi.  Sure, these wouldn't be mistaken for Miku, but they were good in their own way, especially for AYCE.  I particularly enjoyed the salmon as it was lightly-torched being buttery soft atop chewy sushi rice.  The amount of mayo sauce was modest, so it didn't get too creamy nor greasy.

From there, we tried a few of their other items including the Meet Oyster Tartare, Unagi Rice and Sashimi.  I thought the salmon tartare was pretty decent and they did pile on a tonne of tobiko on top as well as a quail's egg.  So it had so nice buttery silkiness.  The unagi was pretty standard and adequately sauced.  We found the sashimi decent much like the one included in the Sukiyaki set except this one had tamago and unagi.

One of the best things we ate was the selection of Oysters including one topped with cheese, one topped with durian and the last one topped with garlic.  Beyond the fact that the oysters were gigantic and plump, the toppings made all the difference.  I enjoyed the garlic one the most because it kept things simple and I could still get the full brininess of the oyster.  The durian was just enough that I got a taste without it being overwhelming.  I found the cheese to be pretty good too, but less interesting at the other 2.

To give a bit more of an overview of the items you can choose from other than the ones we chose for the Sukiyaki Set.  These included Sliced Snakehead Fish, Fish Meaballs and Scallop (we also got another oyster because the place is called Meet Oyster!).  As you can see, it maybe AYCE, but the quality of the items weren't compromised.  The fish cooked up buttery soft while the meatballs were bouncy and sweet.  Scallop was big and included the mantle.  Yup, the oyster was buttery and soft with its classic sweet bininess.

For dessert, we ordered the Fried Coconut Milk and it was so good, we got another plate!  These were lightly breaded and fried with creamy and sweet coconut milk that was super aromatic.  Not sure about the mayo on the side, it didn't need it.  Lastly, we had the Kirkland Hagen-Daas Ice Cream Bars to finish and hey, pretty generous offering for dessert!  In general, the food at Meet Oyster is quite good in terms of quality and quantity, especially for the price.  That late night sukiyaki set is a really good value and if you want even more food, then just go for the AYCE.

*All food and beverages were complimentary for this blog post*

The Good:

- Good quality ingredients

- Overall decent food

- Well-priced, especially that late night Sukiyaki Set!

The Bad:

- It isn't the biggest place, so seating will be limited

Kumo Sukiyaki

Remember Posh?   It was the only AYCE sukiyaki spot (with several locations) in the Lower Mainland.  I didn't mind the place and in fact, was a very good value.  Was it truly authentic?  Well, let's not dwell on that because Vancouver is not exactly teeming with authentic Japanese food in general.  Now there is a new spot in Richmond where Toyotomi used to be (and a rice noodle place more recently).  It is rumoured this new restaurant, Kumo Sukiyaki, is run by the same people behind Shin Ka Gyuu.  Yes, there is some controversy over their business practices, but without actual experience on my part, I'm going to stay out of that and concentrate on the food and service.

So the AYCE is available in 3 levels (weekday/weekend) - Silver ($30.99/$32.99), Gold ($54.99/$56.99) and Black ($76.99/$78.99).  Silver gives you 3 meat options, Gold adds 2 Wagyu choices while Black adds 2 more Wagyu items as well as one slice of A5.  Unlike Chinese hot pot, Sukiyaki involves very little liquid in the hot cast iron pan/pot.  There is a mix of soy, sugar, sake and water.  There is a "setup service fee" of $17.99 (good if you have a big group, but not so much with 2 people), so consider this like paying for your broth at Chinese hot pot places.  It really should only be $5.00pp in my opinion.  Traditionally, we only see beef and pork options, but I've seen other meats included sometimes.  After quickly cooking the meat, dipping it into raw egg is the way to finish the sukiyaki experience.

We ended up with the Gold series menu that included the 3 meats in the Silver series menu (Pork Belly, Angus Beef Short Plate, AAA Boneless Chuck Flap) and 2 Wagyu choices (Wagyu Beef Striploin, Wagyu Beef Short Plate).  I thought the 2 extra Wagyu meats were well-worth it in my opinion.  We thought the Wagyu Beef Striploin was fantastic being meaty yet super tender.  With that being said, I can see most people being happy with the 3 Silver series menu choices as well.  They were also fatty enough and tender. 

There was also a small selection of Veggies that included cabbage, winter melon, crown daisy, tofu, shiitake, enoki, oyster mushroom, shimeji, radish, carrot and yam noodles.  They also have fish tofu, beef balls and sprouts on the menu, but they didn't include it in our bowl even though we asked for everything.  Furthermore, rice, udon and glass noodles are also included, but we didn't order any but the glass noodles (which we also didn't receive).

There was also some appies including Ebi Mayo, Takoyaki, Kimchi, Tako Wasabi and Seaweed Salad.  On the menu, 2 items were blanked out and I really thought a few more options would've been nice.  As for the things we did have, the tempura shrimp were decent but a bit greasy.  Takoyaki was a little shriveled but still decent.  Even though the tako wasabi was cooked, it was tasty and nicely textured.  The seaweed salad was standard while the kimchi was on the tangier side.

Onto dessert, we were surprised to find Chocolate Mini-Ice Cream bars (from Costco) that were quite good.  There was also Mochi Ice Cream (not sure where the mochi was though) and Fresh Pineapple.  Also, they offer unlimited drinks for $5.00pp (pop, juices and yakult).  With all things considered, I thought the pricing was fair for what we got.  Meat quality was good and the service was friendly despite the place being super busy.  If you do the Silver series menu, I consider it a good value especially if you eat a lot.  The free parking in the lot above is also a bonus as the area is not known to have a lot of street parking. I do feel the setup fee for $17.99 is unnecessary though.

The Good:
- Good meat quality
- Good service despite being busy
- Reasonable pricing

The Bad:
- They really need checklist ordering system to reduce the errors and for better efficiency
- Set up fee of $17.99 is a bit steep
- Need better exhaust system, the place was getting rather humid